About

GWP’s VISION is a water secure world. Our MISSION is to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable and equitable development.

OUR UNIQUE VALUE: GWP mobilises action on the global water crisis through a unique combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottom-up orientation, and expertise. A network of networks, we ensure the ‘voices of water’ can inﬂuence local, national, regional, and global development priorities. We are committed to our role as a neutral convener and respected for our focus on inclusiveness and sustainability.

Learn

GWP creates and communicates information about integrated water resources management which contributes to improved water governance and, ultimately, water security.

Together with our Partners, we provide knowledge resources and capacity building activities for solving water problems.

Partner

Institutional Partners are the basis of GWP's multi-stakeholder partnership. A strong, diverse partnership can bring about the changes needed to achieve a water secure world. In this section, learn about the benefits of being a Partner and meet a few who already are. We invite like-minded organisations to join us!

GWP Regions

This is where you can find links to the websites of our Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs). RWPs are closest to the countries where we work. They share knowledge and learning across national boundaries and are expected to have an open, inclusive, and gender-sensitive policies for bringing together as wide a group of stakeholders as possible to solve water problems.

Transboundary: Water Governance and Implementation of IWRM through Local Community Action in the Tacaná Watersheds; Guatemala & Mexico (#424)

Wathersheds of Tacana originate on the volcano, with both shared by Guatemala and Mexico. This region is of great strategic importance for both countries since they supply water to a large number of residents in the cities located downstream and are the main source of irrigation water for agriculture. In the lower reaches, fishing is an important source of income.

Water is primarily used for domestic purposes and small-scale irrigation in Guatemala, while in Mexico, 54% of surface water is used for irrigation, 26% for human consumption and 10% for agribusiness. Coffee production and export plays an essential part in the livelihoods strategies of communities.

Marginalised farmers have been forced to higher altitudes on the volcano and have cleared forests to make way for small farms. In the low and middle parts of the catchment, agriculture sector pollutes the water and larger-scale farming has degraded the land. Unregulated land use change has been especially damaging on steep hillsides and deforestation has reduced the capacity of the soils to retain water. The resulting erosion has strongly increased the risk of floods and mudslides.

Action taken

The Water and Nature Initiative (WANI) set up a demonstration project in the Tacaná Watersheds on the boarder of Guatemala and Mexico together with its partners. The project was a combination of livelihoods projects and bottom-up integrated governance of water resources management with the major goals to raise awareness and disseminate information about water resources management.

Within the project numerous community pilot projects to improve livelihoods through water, soil and environmental conservation were carried out.
The community pilot projects were also part of the mechanism to bring stakeholders together to organize themselves into Microwatershed councils. Additionally, when the Tropical Storm Stan hit the area in 2005, activities to restore water supplies were carried out by WANI.

Lessons learned

The understanding that developing local governance and organisational structures benefit and complement IWRM actions. Integrating local communities and their social structures into Mirco-watershed councils leads to greater cohesion and unity.

Strengthening community-based alliances and integrating them with municipal and national development institutions increases coordination between administrative levels.

Developing disaster risk management planning should be integral to the overall watershed management planning and not just as an emergency response.

Importance of the case for IWRM

The WANI Tacaná Watersheds demonstration project has built a platform for wider influencing of regional and national water management. The promotion of integrated water resources management and resilience at the local, national and regional level has continued with other projects which mostly focus on governance through

Microwatershed councils and building resilience through water management. The continued livelihoods work is also a strong component in these complementing projects.

Page last edited: 7/31/2013